I'm Here For You
by CheekyAngel
Summary: chapter5up!herm/ron fic.. hermione's holidays with krum are cut short when she finds out that krum's intentions are impure. She goes to The Burrow to seek support from her friends. Their friendship is strengthened, and a new bond is formed..
1. Default Chapter

           "What?!," Ron shouted. His face was red and his fists were clenched by his sides. Harry looked equally shocked and angry. "How dare he! Did you call the police?" Ron asked, his voice trembling with anger.

        "Oh, don't be unreasonable Ron! It was just a few kisses...." Hermione said, her voice trailing of as her eyes filled with tears. Seeing her like that only increased Ron's anger

         "A few kisses! Hermione, the bloody bugger practically raped you!" Ron yelled. Hermione broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Ron looked as if he was going to say more but Harry gave him a look that cut him short.

         "I don't know what to do..I had no idea...Oh, Ron..Harry...What am I going to do?" she sobbed, her head bent down. Harry didn't know what to do, say. He felt like he should hug her, comfort her, but he was too self concious to do so. His heart was heavy as he saw his best friend so hurt, and he was suddenly filled with an immense hatred for Krum.

       Ron, on the other hand, sat down beside her and somewhat awkwardly, gave her a loose hug. Hermione wrapped her arms around him tightly and sobbed even harder into his shoulder. Ron felt helpless. He wanted to get up and go straight over to Bulgaria and kill Viktor Krum for hurting Hermione this way. At the same time, he knew she needed her friends more than ever and he wasn't sure what to do.

     He hesitated for a few seconds before stroking her hair and saying, "Don't worry, Hermione. It will be ok."

*******

        "Oh god, Harry. What do we do?" Ron asked, whispering when Hermione had finally calmed down and went to sleep. Harry was equally perplexed."Should we tell your parents? Call hers?" Harry asked. 

      "No, she doesn't want them to know. Thats why she came here. They still think she's with Krum in                       Bulgaria," Ron said. And Ron didn't blame her for leaving. He had always disliked Krum and now he had reason why. Poor Hermione fell victim to his charm when actually all he was was a sex maniac. The thought of him filled Ron with anger again.

     "Then we won't tell anyone. Actually there's nothing really WE can do. It's Hermione's choice in the end and she seems to want to forget all about this, so we will," Harry said sighing, glancing at his sleeping friend. "Besides, don't you feel rather awkward? She needs a girl to talk to about this," Harry said.

     "No," Ron said, his expression changing, "she doesn't need no girl. She needs us, Harry, her friends and I don't intend on leaving her for one second."

      Harry was impressed. Instead of Ron's usual (at times) cowardly behaviour, he was now being strong and suportive. He needed no explanation though, because he had always known Ron cared more than he let on.

*********

A/N:  I know its short but i just want to see whether its worth carrying on or not. so, as always, your reviews are very, very much welcome....although it is so, darn short!!.hehe..:)


	2. Downhill

A/N: After only 4 very threatening reviews I started on the next, much longer chapter only a few hours after this was published…Thank u, u guys…Reviews mean so much 2 me…*sob*…how much lamer can a girl get??!!

             The next morning Hermione woke up in an unfamiliar room. She blinked as the sunlight streamed in from the windows. For a moment, she didn't remember where she was or what had happened. And then the memories came flooding back all to quickly. She remembered sitting in Viktor's living room, the fire burning. She remembered her feelings of dread and fear when the formerly sweet, innocent Viktor turned aggressive, forcing her down on the couch. She remembered cursing him and using his Floo powder to get to The Burrow- the first place she thought of. The tears began to flow again. But the memory that stood out the most were here friends, comforting her. Ron's protectiveness, Harry's concern. And Ron's arms around her, so unlike Viktor's rough grasp.

           Hermione frantically tried to wipe her tears when there was a knock on the door of Ginny's room. Ron and Harry opened it and came inside, both smiling awkwardly. Hermione tried to return the smiles, but couldn't bring herself too. All she felt at the moment was hurt, embarrassment and pain when she thought how Viktor had deceived her. She couldn't believe that _she_ of all people would fall for such an idiotic disguise. How could she have fallen for him?? Wasn't she as smart, as intelligent as people said she was? How could he have done this to her? Ron was right all along about him.

      "Hey, Hermione. Mom's getting worried. She thinks your sick or something," Ron said, attempting to sound cheerful. Hermione nodded and got out of bed. 

      "I'll see you downstairs. Don't worry about me," she said, plastering a smile on her face. Ron looked as if he wanted to do something, say something but he didn't. But he doesn't have to say anything, Hermione thought. It was plain to see in both their eyes that they wanted to help somehow. But there really wasn't anyway they could do so. She just needed time to get her life together again, forget Viktor. One thing was for certain, though- she would never trust any man again, at least not romantically. 

******

     "Did you see her? I can't stand it, Harry! I have an irresistible urge to go and kill Krum. Who cares if he's the best Quidditch player ever? Who cares if his millions of foolish fans come after me if I do? I swear, I'll kill him if I ever see him," Ron said, almost yelling. His face was so contorted with anger he almost scared Harry.

        "Calm down, Ron!" Harry said, "There's nothing to do. Viktor's a stupid jerk who doesn't have the right to live but that doesn't mean we can just go kill him!"

       "Oh, look who's talking! It's alright for you to go plunging into danger when its about Voldermort, but when it concerns your own friend, your not bloody interested!" Ron said angrily. He stalked off, leaving Harry dumbfounded and not realizing that for once he had called the Dark Lord by his name and not You-Know-Who. 

******

         Breakfast was a solemn affair at the Burrow. There was no reason for the whole household to be upset, really, but being miserable seemed to be infectious. Harry, Ron and Hermione were upset for their own reasons so they didn't contribute to the conversation at the table. This in turn left the others puzzled and wondering what on earth had happened to the trio. 

       The mood seemed to drag on all day. Hermione was too depressed to do anything. Ron was upset that she was depressed and Harry was mad at Ron for accusing him of not caring for Hermione. Just because he wasn't so loud and emotional about it, it didn't mean that he wasn't worried for her.

       Fred and George tried to lighten things up the whole day with their tricks and jokes but that only seemed to irritate everyone. "What's the bloody matter with everyone today," Fred asked, exasperatedly. Mrs Weasley, who had heard him from the kitchen yelled back at him to watch his language.

       Matters between Ron and Harry only began to resolve as the boys were in their beds that night. Harry had trouble falling asleep and apparently Ron did too judging by the tossing and turning he was making. Suddenly Ron shrieked.

      "What, what is it?" Harry asked, concerned, standing up. Ron had flicked on the lights and was standing as far away from his bed as possible. 

      "Sp..Spider..," Ron whispered pointing to the spider on his bed. Harry tried hard not to laugh, but a trace of a smile was on his face. He went to the bed, picked the spider up, and threw it out the window. He was used to spiders as they shared the old closet he used to live in.

     Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks," he said gratefully as he switched of the light and climbed back into bed. A few minute passed before they both simultaneously said, "Look".

"You go first," Harry said.

      "I'm sorry I was so…unreasonable earlier. I was just really …upset about Hermione," Ron said the last three words so softly Harry could barely catch it. A smile formed on Harry's face. _Still in denial, I bet_, Harry thought. "I know, Ron. I know"

A/N: sorry the plot isn't that good now…but I promise it'll get better!!!


	3. Almost

   A/N: Ok, sorry, but this chapters kinda short..Will update very,very,very soon…Thanks so much, reviewers…U guys  r the best

Merry Christmas!!!!!

*********

   The next morning, Hermione tried to be cheerful. But the scene of Viktor attacking her kept on replaying in her mind and it never failed to bring her close to tears. It was hard to imagine going on with her life as before. It might have been easier for another girl to get over the minor trauma of the situation, but to Hermione, it wasn't just the trauma. It was the insult to her pride, her foolishness at trusting so easily. Hermione, although she never admitted it, prided herself on being smarter and more rational than others were.  But this time, the situation had been reversed and it really affected her.

       Harry and Ron hadn't realized how depressed she was until later on in the day. She was sitting at the dining table, lost in thought, when her two friends decided to try and cheer her up.  Ron touched her shoulder, to get her attention. Hermione jumped up with a shriek, her face pale and her breathing uneven. "You…." she said softly. Then she ran out of the house and into the garden. 

     Ron was shocked. He hadn't realized that just touching her could spark of such a reaction. Anger filled him again when he realized what Viktor's actions had done to her.

      "Come on. Let's follow her," Ron said. Harry didn't think that was such a good idea, but a s he did not want to start of another row, he followed him out to the garden. Hermione was sitting on the grass, apparently watching the gnomes as they wrecked Mrs. Weasley's gardenias.

     "Oh, those bloody gnomes! When will they ever stop coming?" Ron sighed. Cautiously, he and Harry sat on either side of her. All felt extremely uncomfortable. "I'm sorry…" Hermione whispered. Ron was about to say something when Fred and George began yelling Harry's name.

      "Harry! Come in here! We need your help," Fred said, appearing at the foot of the door, his face red. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, eyebrows raised. Then he sighed and went back in leaving Ron feeling even more uncomfortable for some strange reason.

        After a long silence, Hermione finally said, "Aren't you going to say, I told you so?" Ron looked surprised.

      "Why should I? Viktor's a fool, an idiot…" Ron started of again. "Exactly," Hermione said, cutting him short. "Exactly what you were telling me all along…Why didn't I listen to you? How could I have been so stupid?"

In any other situation, Ron would have been overjoyed that Hermione had finally agreed with something he had said. But this was not any other situation. For some reason, Ron's face turned red.

     "Look, Hermione…What I said, it had nothing to do with being smart. Frankly, I had no idea what kind of person Krum was. In fact, even _I fell for his disguise," Ron said, looking at her. _

     "Then why did you say al those things…I don't understand. You seemed to hate him so much. Surely, it wasn't because he was Harry's opponent in the tournament?" Hermione asked with puzzlement.

      "Well…actually……umm…..yes, it was because of that. I felt betrayed by you. That shows how stupid I am, doesn't it?" Ron finished with sudden quickness. He grinned strangely and got to his feet.

      "Alright then, I'm going in. Coming?" Ron asked, ignoring the look of confusion on her face. Without waiting for a reply, he walked back into the house.

********


	4. Feelings

A/N: sorri this took so long 2 update… school's started again so its been hard to write as often..ok, anyways…

          Ron walked through the antique wooden door (Good morning, Master Weasley – the doorknob chimed) and to the dining table. Fred and George must have taken Harry to the attic or some other place as there was no sound in the house, which was a very rare situation.

       After checking that Hermione hadn't followed him, he sank into the chair and sighed. He couldn't believe how close he had come to blowing his cover. He knew this would have happened some day, but not so soon.

     Closing his eyes, he recalled the argument he had with Hermione right after the ball:

(A/N: Extraction from book 2 refresh ur memories)

_"Well, if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?"  yelled Hermione._

_"Oh yeah?" Ron had yelled back. "What's that?_

_"Next time there's a ball ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!" _

_      Ron mouthed soundlessly like a goldfish out of water as Hermione turned on her heel and stormed up the girls' staircase to bed. Ron turned to look at Harry._

_     "Well," he spluttered, looking thunderstruck, "well- that just proves- completely missed the point"_

 The truth was, up to that moment, Ron had truly believed he hated Krum for the reasons he told her- the fact that he was a Durmstrang, Harry's rival. But Hermione's statement had him up the whole night, thinking. Because with that single sentence Ron had realized the truth of his feelings for her. He hated Krum not because he was his best friend's rival- but because he was jealous.

     At first, Ron had tried to deny it. He told himself it wasn't true; Hermione was speaking nonsense. But he couldn't stop thinking about her and the argument and soon he accepted his feelings- and hated himself for it. Now and again he would just shrug it of and say it was just a temporary thing. But there was no denying the times Ron had lived just to argue with her (he used to think it was because it gave him an adrenalin rush – not that he knew exactly what that was **a/n: cant we all hear herm's voice saying, "Really, Ron!"**) , the surge of protectiveness and hatred that he felt when Hermione had first arrived at The Burrow 2 days ago. And of course, the unnamable feeling he got just thinking that Hermione had come to _his_ home for comfort. 

     What puzzled him now, was that Hermione had guessed the truth (and it made him cringe just thinking about it) but yet in the garden she still questioned his hatred for Krum. Had she just been guessing that day, a year ago? Or was she tricking Ron into admitting the truth. Or had she been so furious at Ron that she had just said the first thing that came to her mind. Whatever it was, Ron was feeling extremely uncomfortable about the whole thing.

       To some, it might seem that Ron could have accepted his feelings for her easily. But it was not that simple. Ron, being Ron, just couldn't bring himself to just like her, treat her like a crush (well, he had only had 2 crushes so far, surprisingly- one to his neighbou's daughter, Henrietta and one of course to Fleur). He had always thought of Hermione as his know it all, big mouthed best friend. Nothing more. Not even a girl- in his mind she was under the category 'friend', not specified by gender. Well at least it had been that way until the ball. He just couldn't admit to himself that he actually liked her- the person he fought with most of time, the person he hated for her guts. (This might be hard to understand, but try being in his shoes and you might understand how this could be so complicated). To put it simply, he would be risking his pride to admit he liked her.

        At the end of the day, he was just a boy. A boy who liked his best friend but was too proud to see it.

But what about the girl?

*****

A/N: Ok I know its short but I promise will update soon…so what do u think? I think I changed my style of writing a little for this chapter…approve or disapprove???????

I will change back, don't worry.. just felt it was necessary for this chapter…ok, that's all

thanx 4 reading

no..its not the end


	5. The Chest

A/N: Sorry for the late update..Sumthing has beeen wrong wit my PC. I am so so sorry..Anyway, thanx to all the people who have reviewed…Do you think I should change my summary cos this story hasn't been getting as many reviews as my other one?…But I guess it'll take time as this is only my 4th/5th? chapter…..haha…:)..once again, thanx..

*******

            Harry began to sneeze furiously the moment he stepped into the Weasley's attic. It was no wonder as the place was dusty and filled with cobwebs.

          "Sorry for the dust and all. We haven't bee able to keep the attic clean because of the ghoul…But it leaves this time every year for some Ghoul Convention or something," Fred said with a snort. Ginny, who had followed the twins and Harry up, rolled her eyes when she saw what they had brought them there for.

     "Fred- you aren't planning to make us help you carry this thing down again, are you? cos if you are, count me out," she said, crossing her arms. Harry looked towards the large brown chest in the center of the attic and asked, "What's in that?"

    Ginny who blushed when she realized the question was aimed at her, answered, " Oh, it's just some old spell books and things that used to belong to my father when he was younger. Fred and George take the chest down into their room every year when the ghoul goes away."

    "It's really quite wizard," George interrupted, "The spells they had in those days were amazing. They've edited loads of them from the latest editions as a lot of people misused them."

      "There's a whole section of spells on how to improve your broom," Fred added with a knowing wink at Harry. This of course, caught Harry's attention.

     "So when do we start?" he asked, rolling up his sleeves before he gave another big sneeze.

*********

        Hermione finally got up from the garden and went inside just in time to hear a loud thump from the stairs leading to the attic. She and Ron. who had been sitting at the dining table nearby ran to the foot of  the stairs to see what had happened. A huge chest was at the last step, it's lid open and some of it's contents coming out. Two steps above it, Fred,George and Harry stood red faced and panting. Ginny was closing the attic door.

     "This thing seems to have gotten heavier since the last time we brought it down,' George panted. Ron frowned when he saw the chest.

     "Harry, did they make you carry that thing down?" he asked.

      "No, I wanted to," Harry replied. Ron looked shocked.

      "You wanted to? That thing weighs a ton! Besides, there's nothing but junk in it. They told you the chapter on broomsticks story, I suppose?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at his brothers.

       Harry looked puzzled. Fred and George assured him that there _was _a chapter on broomsticks but Ron was just being a sourpuss. Ron just shook his head and muttered, "Believe whatever you want" and then proceeded to walk off.

****

A/N: Sorry this chapter wasn't very interesting..Its just that I haven't got enough tiem to write more but I promise will write soon…:)


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